A surprised, but grateful Kevin Steele took the podium Sunday morning at the Mal Moore Athletic Facility for Alabama’s media day with reporters.
Steele, 65, enters his third stint with the Crimson Tide, but he’s been around the college football landscape for almost 40 years.
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He answered the call to help return the Tide to being elite on defense and has had a smooth transition. Steele discussed the unity among the defensive coaches and how the players have bought into the tough mindset. He kicked off Alabama’s mindset of discipline in 2007 with Nick Saban; however, Steele is more than excited to show he can still lead at a powerhouse level.
“Obviously, I am very excited to be back at Alabama,” Steele said. “It is a very special place for a lot of reasons, but the commitment to excellence that touches us on a daily basis is unparalleled.”
Steele knows Coach Saban is the architect of the defense, but he’s prepared to add some nuances to it. He honors Saban for serving as the ‘best defensive mind’ he’s been around; however, Steele is pumped to help this program return to the College Football Playoff and win a national championship. The players and coaches he is working with have him the most energized.
“The most exciting thing about this group is they are coachable,” Steele said about the defensive players. “We are focused on relentless effort, physical and mental toughness, do your job mentality, and they are very coachable to that. The thing that probably goes unnoticed sometimes, it does not get talked about a lot, I have been doing this awhile, but I know when it is right … And that is we have a good group of strong guys in the room. Coach Robinson, Coach Bala, Coach Hutzler, and Coach Roach, those guys are outstanding football coaches. They are very smart and that is a huge benefit. We all get along, there is unity.”
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Steele said if Alabama can apply the unity on the defense with Saban process, good things can happen.
Saban has an expectation for Steele, and the long-time coach is about meeting it. Justin Eboigbe, a fifth-year senior on the defensive line, stated in spring practice that everything starts with the line. He mentioned to reporters last week that the aspiration is to have this unit be the most talked about group. It is early in camp, but Steele likes how the line is forming.
“They worked really hard in the summer,” he said. “We have talent there, and they are coachable. We have guys that are developing leadership in the room. It is still a working progress, but we have the talent. We have to work the process.”
Steele has an opportunity to coach a potential starting middle linebacker in Deontae Lawson. The redshirt sophomore from Mobile (Ala.) recorded 51 tackles, 2.5 stops for loss, and four pass breakups in 11 games. Lawson made four starts and got better with each matchup. The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder has embraced a leadership role, but Steele loves his work ethic in fall practice.
“Deontae is very smart, works very hard, but he also has time on task,” Steele said. “That always helps in college football. There is a difference between an 18-year-old and a 21-year-old, in particular, if you have done the task over and over again. He has a lot of snaps under his belt. He knows the expectations, knows the process, and he’s very relentless toward the work of improving himself and the defense.”
Steele’s primary response, regardless to questions about certain positions, was ‘we have the talent.’
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He is correct as the Crimson Tide is deep across the board.
“We have guys that played a lot and guys that haven’t played so much yet, but it is starting to fit together,” Steele said.
Steele mentioned Alabama is starting to figure out ‘who fits where’ in the defense and what their strengths are. He understands how much the game has changed with aspects fitting offenses, but he embraces the challenge. Defenses are evolving in college football, but Steele said much of what Alabama has run under Saban he has performed at his other coaching stops.
“The system I was running was this system at Alabama,” he said. “Now incorporating nuances, that happens with all of us. We have spent all offseason studying different teams, studying different defenses, the whole staff will bring ideas to the room. We are always evolving. As for me coming back, eighty percent of what’s done here defensively I was doing at other places. The verbiage was the same. I did not have to bring a new dictionary in. There are some nuances since I left. The concepts primarily stay within the base of what we were doing, but it’s just a different application.”
Steen is keen on correcting the penalties the Tide has last season.
“When you have something to correct, you place emphasis on it,” he said. “We have officials at practice, we chart every official, and there are repercussions for your actions. It stays in front you. In most cases in life, if you keep something in front of you that you need to correct it gets corrected.”
After spending a year in Miami as a defensive coordinator, Steele said he was ‘shocked’ to get the call to return to Alabama.
“I did not see it coming,” he said about returning to the Tide. “It was not something I expected, but when you get an opportunity to coach at the University of Alabama for the best coach that’s ever done it, sometimes you look in the mirror and go “Why me?” But, I am very blessed to be here. You could not ask for anything better.”
Alabama fans are excited to have Steele back and he’s ready to roll.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
